Eversolo DAC-Z10: a DAC that doubles up on everything, from decoding to power supply

Eversolo made its name with all-in-one network players, the DMP range. The DAC-Z10 takes a different route: no streaming, no screen for browsing TIDAL, no internal storage. It is a digital-to-analogue converter, paired with a balanced preamplifier and a headphone amplifier. A component you place behind an existing source — a transport, a server, a computer, a television — and which takes care of everything that comes after.

The guiding idea comes down to one word: separate. Separate digital from analogue, separate the left channel from the right, and carry that through to the power supplies.

Two DACs, one per channel

Most stereo converters use a single chip handling both channels. The DAC-Z10 carries two complete sets: each channel gets its own AK4191 + AK4499 pairing, AKM's high-end combination that isolates the digital modulator from the analogue stage. As a result, the left and right signals never cross paths, from input right through to conversion.

Eversolo calls this architecture FIA, for Fully Isolated Architecture. It goes beyond the chips: three separate, isolated linear power supplies feed the left channel, the right channel and the system section respectively. Each has its own toroidal transformer. This is the kind of choice usually found on considerably more expensive machines, and it shows up in the measurements — 0.00008% THD+N and 130 dB of dynamic range.

The clock, an in-house obsession

Eversolo has been refining its timing for several generations, and the DAC-Z10 is where that work lands. The system, named Precision Core, stacks three stages: an oven-controlled crystal oscillator (OCXO) that holds the crystal at a constant temperature to eliminate drift, a phase-locked loop providing a second pass of jitter reduction, and an FPGA that reconstructs the clock and reshapes the IIS data before it reaches the conversion chips.

More unusual at this price: the unit accepts an external clock. Two separate sockets are provided, one at 75 Ω and one at 50 Ω, compatible with 10 MHz and 25 MHz. Enough to connect a master clock and synchronise several digital components within the same system — a practice that comes from the studio world and is steadily making its way into domestic hi-fi.

A volume control that stays analogue

Level is set through an R-2R resistor ladder, again with one module per channel. The difference from a digital volume control shows up mainly at low levels: where digital attenuation trims bits and loses resolution as you turn the sound down, the R-2R ladder acts on the analogue signal and keeps the same definition at any volume.

The preamplifier that follows is fully balanced and offers up to +10 dB of analogue gain. In practice, the DAC-Z10 can drive a power amplifier or active speakers directly, with no additional preamp. The XLR and RCA inputs and outputs are laid out in separate blocks for the left and right channels, in keeping with the rest of the design.

From studio to living room, and a headphone output that isn't an afterthought

Connectivity is generous: isolated USB audio, two coaxial inputs, two optical, one IIS with eight customisable wiring modes to suit sources from other brands, one AES/EBU, and an HDMI ARC input with eARC support. That last one changes things for living-room use — the DAC-Z10 connects to the television and handles film and game audio just as it does music. A Qualcomm QCC5125 Bluetooth module rounds things off for playback from a mobile device.

On the headphone side, the front-panel 6.35 mm output automatically detects the impedance of the headphones plugged in and adjusts gain accordingly. In high-gain mode it delivers 1 W into 16 Ω and into 32 Ω, enough to drive planar or high-impedance models without a separate amplifier.

Everything is controlled from an 8.8-inch IPS touchscreen shielded against electromagnetic interference. It shows the source, the clock in use, the digital filter, the active output and the per-channel level at a glance, with a choice of several VU meters and a spectrum display, in vintage or modern styling. The colour of the volume knob's lighting can be customised too. An infrared remote is supplied, and the Eversolo Control app puts everything within reach from a smartphone.

Technical specifications

• Decoding: two AK4191 + AK4499 sets (one per channel), AKM Velvet Sound technology
• Formats: native DSD512, PCM 768 kHz/32-bit
• THD+N 0.00008% — dynamic range 130 dB
• Precision Core clock: oven-controlled OCXO, PLL, FPGA reconstruction
• External clock inputs: 10 and 25 MHz, 50 Ω and 75 Ω sockets
• Volume: analogue R-2R ladder, one module per channel
• Balanced preamp, +10 dB of analogue gain
• Digital inputs: isolated USB audio, 2 × coaxial, 2 × optical, IIS (8 modes), AES/EBU, HDMI ARC/eARC
• Analogue inputs and outputs: XLR and RCA, separate left/right blocks
• Headphones: 6.35 mm output, impedance detection, 1 W into 16 Ω and into 32 Ω
• Shielded 8.8-inch IPS touchscreen, Qualcomm QCC5125 Bluetooth
• Three isolated linear power supplies with toroidal transformers

Price and availability

The DAC-Z10 is available from Cool Kids Audio at €1,990 including VAT. It joins an Eversolo line-up that has grown considerably this year, between the DMP-A8 Gen 2 and Master Gen 2 network players, the flagship DMP-A10 and the AMP-F2 and AMP-F10 power amplifiers — with which it forms a coherent chain, preamp and amplifier from the same brand.